The Big Brother Effect?: ...Certainly, the rhetoric of an enlightened
society groveling at the Federal government's feet is beginning to wear
more than a little thin with the American public. This is evident when
considering the annual report of NICS background checks, which are done
by the FBI for all pending firearm sales. The following graph for the
years 1999 through December 2009 illustrates how many American's
attitude seems to have changed... To say that the current political
atmosphere has nothing to do with firearms sales would be ludicrous, at
best. There are, however, more to the statistics than first meets the
eyes. On closer inspection the NICS data shows the rise of firearms
sales beginning in September 2005 and really taking hold in December of
the same year. What accounts for this sudden rise in firearm interest
can only be attributed to the events following the destruction of New
Orleans and the surrounding areas in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in
late August 2005... State legislatures now moved to stem the tide with
state resolutions, state amendments or firearm freedom acts, putting the
Federal government on notice that the tenth amendment to the
Constitution was still valid. Even so America's skepticism remained
evident. The numbers of weapon checks preformed by the FBI continued to
rise. Even with shortages in ammunition 14,033,824 firearms were sold in
2009, an increase over 2008 of 9.44% and over 2005 by a whooping 36.20%.
To some it is finally becoming obvious that this is still a very
dangerous world. Being armed means the same thing now as it did 5000
years ago. Modern man; meet �tzi. Now learn to watch your back!
http://www.lewrockwell.com/case/case39.1.html
---
Preaching to the Fudds and the Choir: I recently wrote about the need
for preaching to the choir - too many of our own friends, family
members, and fellow shooters are woefully uninformed about the fight for
liberty. A chance conversation in a hardware store this week really
brought home just how much work there is to do beyond the choir room
doors. At the hardware store I got into a conversation with a fellow
shopper. As conversations with me tend to do, it wasn't long before we
were talking about guns and gun laws. The fellow's wife had joined the
conversation by this time and while his reaction was troubling, her
reaction was down right scary. This was a nice couple in their 50's,
fairly conservative, into classic cars, and in the market for a .38 for
home protection. They were not loony-tune lefties by any means. They
also mentioned a good friend who owns many guns and reloads. The
conversation rolled along smoothly until the topic of "Uzi's and
machineguns" came up. As you can imagine, it wasn't me talking about
"Uzi's and machineguns." ... ("Fudds" is a term used for politically
ignorant, sports-oriented gun owners; it derives from the
shotgun-wielding cartoon character Elmer Fudd.)
http://www.ohioccw.org/201001154760/a-lot-of-work-to-do.html
---
The Gun-Tax and Dodge City Hoaxes: Remember the e-mail hysteria that was
spreading a couple of months back about the government plan to require
listing all guns you own on the 2009 income tax return? Well, it's
January 2010 and those Form 1040s are all over the place. Where on that
form is there a section requiring a taxpayer to list every firearm he or
she owns? The other day, I got a call from my pal, Jim Zumbo, the
outdoor writer and television host, who had been on location down in
Florida with the Wounded Warriors project and found himself being
questioned about this urban legend. "Jim," says I, "just tell these
fools to wait a few days. The tax forms will be available, and then that
story will go up in smoke." ...Here's the truth of it, as noted by my
colleague John Pierce in a 2009 column. The big trailhead towns of the
1870s were rather peaceful, with a total of only 45 homicides between
1870 and 1885 in these towns: Abilene, Caldwell, Dodge City, Ellsworth
and Wichita, according to historian W. Eugene Hollon. The murder rate
was 1 per 100,000 citizens. Stack that against a major city today, and
you will soon be longing for those "days of yester-year when the Lone
Ranger rides again" or something like that...
http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d15-The-gun-census-tax-form-myth-explodesand-so-do-tempers-over-parks
---
Has Heller Reduced DC's Homicide Rate?: There it was. Good news on New
Year's Day on the front page of the Washington Post. "Homicide totals in
2009 plummet in District, Prince George's," the headline read. In a
story that likely got lost amid the holiday revelry, the paper reported
that the nation's capital in 2009 experienced its lowest number of
homicides in 45 years. In case you can't do the math real quick, that
previous year would be 1964. And for those too young to remember, 1964
was pretty much the end of an era. It was before the riots, before the
Vietnam War was seriously escalated to become a national dividing point,
before the drug explosion. So what happened in Washington, D.C., in 2009
that might account for such a dramatic decline in homicide deaths?
Hmmmmm. Let me see. Nothing comes to mind. Oh, wait a minute! Wasn't
2009 the first full year following the overturning of Washington's gun
ban by the Supreme Court in the Heller case? Could that have something
to do with it? ...(I have always cautioned against basing RKBA arguments
on crime statistics because these can be influenced by a multitude of
factors. Most of DC's homicides have been related to the drug trade and
street crimes, not home invasions. Despite the claim of Gilbert Arenas
that he misunderstood the post-Heller changes to the District's gun
laws, Heller did not legalize carry outside the home.)
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=122091
---
"Fear" Cited for Rise In Michigan Carry Permits: The number of
Michiganders licensed to carry concealed weapons has reached 220,422 -
nearly 10 years after the state liberalized its permit law and following
a record number of CCW applicants in the 12 months from July 1, 2008, to
June 30, 2009. More than 92,000 of those with permits live in Wayne,
Oakland and Macomb counties. In the 12-month period, 73,000 applied for
permits and 66,446 were approved, according to newly released Michigan
State Police records. That's nearly double the number from the previous
12 months, an increase largely due to permit renewals by people who got
their CCW permits soon after the law took effect. Still, nearly 1 in 35
Michigan adults is licensed to carry a concealed weapon. Advocates said
interest in gun ownership has been rising with the state's economic
anxiety and fears - mostly unfounded - that government may try to
curtail gun ownership... (There's an old saying, "Just because I'm
paranoid doesn't mean that people aren't out to get me." Wayne, Oakland
and Macomb counties make up the Detroit metropolitan area.)
http://www.freep.com/article/20100115/NEWS06/1150378/1318/Fear-fuels-demand-for-gun-permits
.."What we've seen is that people are very well educated that are
receiving these permits. Very few instances of careless use are going on
out there. People are complying with the law. They're getting proper
education, and they're carrying them responsibly," says Sgt. Robert
Pernaski of the Michigan State Police, Negaunee Post...
http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?id=402573
---
New Hampshire Committee Retains Gun Ban: A joint legislative committee
has reaffirmed a ban on guns and dangerous weapons in the Statehouse
complex. The Legislative Facilities Committee took more than an hour of
testimony Friday from House members on both sides before again adopting
the ban by a 7-5 vote. The policy allows only licensed law enforcement
personnel to possess a gun or dangerous weapon in the Statehouse,
Legislative Office Building or Statehouse Annex Building across the
street. The ban has drawn considerable debate...
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/statenewengland/540873-227/gun-ban-holds-after-second-vote.html
---
California Committee Rejects Shall-Issue CCW: The Assembly Committee on
Public Safety defeated Assembly Bill 357 yesterday by a vote of 4-1.
The lone vote in favor of the bill was Assembly Member Curt Hagman
(R-60), Vice Chair of the committee. AB357 would have created a "shall
issue" concealed handgun permit system in California. Under current
law, an applicant must show cause as to why they should be issued a
permit to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense. AB357 sought to
remove that stipulation and require sheriffs to issue the license if all
other mandated criteria are satisfied...
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=5291
---
Maryland Gun Owners to Protest Lack of CCW: Monday, Jan. 18, the nation
will celebrate Martin Luther King Day and his fight for civil rights.
One such right that Dr. King supported (but many aren't aware of ) is
the right of self-defense. In Martin Luther King Jr.'s Where Do We Go
From Here: Chaos or Community, Chapter II, Black Power, Page 55, Harper
& Row Publishers Inc., First Edition, 1967, he observed " ... the right
to defend one's home and one's person when attacked has been guaranteed
through the ages by common law." Despite being subjected to multiple
threats this "guaranteed right" didn't extend to Dr. King who applied
for and was denied a handgun permit. Some 40 years later Maryland
residents still face the same barrier by an unsympathetic bureaucracy.
Thankfully, the right of the people to peaceably assemble and petition
the government for redress of grievances is one of America's greatest
treasures. Thus, on Monday the 18th, citizens will gather between noon
and 2 p.m. at Lawyer's Square in Annapolis in a peaceful open-holster
protest against those in the General Assembly who vote year after year
to deny the people a civil right that was near and dear to Dr. King.
Hope to see you there. (List member Don Pollock has clarified that
"open-holster" means "empty holster." He also clarified that it was in
Alabama, at the start of the bus protests, that King was denied a pistol
permit.)
http://www.hometownbowie.com/news/blade/2010/01/14-20
---
Wyoming Flip-Flop: Governor Freudenthal has found a way to spin his own
administrations gun control attempt into something positive, nothing
like manufacturing your own campaign rhetoric. In a recent article Gov.
Freudenthal backs legislation to restore concealed gun carry
reciprocity, Freudenthal stated - "This is important legislation that
ensures that lawful permit holders in and out of Wyoming can carry
firearms as originally intended". Not so fast Governor! It was under
your watch that concealed carry reciprocity became an issue. Of course
when Freudenthal was caught he had to change his story. None of this is
surprising since Freudenthal supported the Obama campaign and let's not
forget the rumors of nepotism when Freudenthal sent his nomination to
the White House of his wife for a Federal Judge position. Sorry Governor
Dave, there are some things you just can't sweep under the carpet!
http://www.examiner.com/x-25069-Cheyenne-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d15-Wyoming-Governor-Freudenthal-uses-his-own-guncontrol-blunder-for-political-gain
Current Wyoming Reciprocity Status:
http://attorneygeneral.state.wy.us/dci/CWP.html
---
Arenas - the Guilty Plea and the Details: Prosecutors urged a District
of Columbia judge to sentence Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas to
no more than six months in prison after he pleaded guilty today to
felony gun possession. Arenas, who arrived at court wearing a baggy,
dark gray pinstriped suit and in the company of his lawyer, O'Melveny &
Myers partner Kenneth Wainstein, pleaded guilty to one count of carrying
a pistol without a license. The crime carries a five year maximum
sentence. In court, prosecutors asked for a sentence on the low end of
the sentencing guidelines, which could include jail time, a
split-sentence or probation... On the morning of December 21, 2009,
Arenas arrived at the Verizon Center, and entered the team's locker
room. When Arenas entered the locker room that morning he was carrying
at least one firearm in his backpack. Once Arenas entered the locker
room, he placed four firearms on the chair located directly in front of
the locker of the teammate with whom he had the prior verbal exchange.
Arenas then wrote the message "PICK 1" on a piece of paper, and placed
it on the teammate's chair near the firearms. Arenas remained in the
locker room. Moments later, the teammate walked into the locker room and
approached his locker. He saw the handguns and he and Arenas once again
exchanged words. During this exchange, Arenas stated, "You said you were
going to shoot me, so I thought you would like some firepower. Pick
one." The teammate picked up one of Arenas's firearms from his chair,
threw it across the locker room, then reportedly took out what appeared
to Arenas to be a silver-colored semi-automatic handgun... (This would
appear to explain the lack of assault charges against Arenas. That's an
interesting assortment of handguns, which I presume is now headed for
destruction.)
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2010/01/proseutors-ask-for-six-months-in-jail-for-arenas.html
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/16/police-search-home-wizards-crittenton-gun/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/15/AR2010011502656.html
---
All That Input for Naught: A couple of days ago I linked a commentary by
a Los Angeles Times columnist in which she purported to seek input from
readers about their "relationship" with their firearms. This was
presumably triggered by the Arenas fiasco. Predictably, despite claiming
to have read nearly 200 replies, she ends up producing the usual party line.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-banks16-2010jan16,0,5828159,full.column
Related Commentary:
http://www.examiner.com/x-2323-LA-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d14-Safer-Streets-2010-Answering-LA-Times-Blogger-Sandy-Banks?cid=exrss-LA-Gun-Rights-Examiner
---
Do as I Say, Not as I Do: The tale of Los Angeles City Councilman
Richard Alarcon's residency - and the investigation into whether he
lives in the district he was elected to represent - grew more tangled
Friday when he announced that he had been living just outside the area
for nearly three months because of concerns about his family's safety...
The revelation came just days after investigators with the Los Angeles
County district attorney's office served search warrants at that house
and another owned by Alarcon's wife, Flora Montes de Oca, to determine
whether the councilman was living at the address where he is registered
to vote. Council members are required to live in their districts, but
two neighbors said the Panorama City home has appeared to be vacant for
several years... (The Los Angeles City Council is not exactly friendly
to the RKBA.)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-alarcon16-2010jan16,0,2218965.story
---
Life in New York City: The night the robbers shoved their way in, Jason
Baez lay on the living room floor, terrified. He worried for his
children, asleep in their bedroom; for his wife, prostrate next to him;
and for himself as two men brandished guns and a third accomplice, a
woman, lashed Mr. Baez and his wife with duct tape and electrical
cord... Mr. Baez was so concerned, he bought a gun from a street dealer
for $50, not even sure what he would do with it. And on the authorities'
advice, the family moved away until the perpetrators could be caught.
They rented a $1,600-a-month apartment in Jersey City, but were still
responsible for the $745 monthly payments on their rent-stabilized
apartment in Manhattan. By the time they returned, more than a year
later, they were more than $10,000 in arrears... Mr. Baez, meanwhile, is
waiting to testify against one of the men in the home invasion case; the
other is already in prison on an unrelated case. The woman was convicted
in the home invasion last year. It would have been a comforting end. But
five months after the robbery, as Mr. Baez was visiting their Manhattan
apartment to collect the mail, a police officer stopped him in the lobby
and frisked him, he said. Finding nothing, the officer asked him if he
had any drugs or weapons on him. Nervous, he decided to confess: "I just
got home-invaded in September and I have a weapon for my protection,"
Mr. Baez recalled telling the officer. He was arrested, and despite
having no criminal record, he faced up to three and a half years in
prison. Prosecutors offered him a deal of one year if he pleaded guilty,
and he accepted. He is to be sentenced Jan. 27...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/nyregion/12neediest.html?hpw
http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d15-A-Mayors-Against-Illegal-Guns-success-story
---
Arizona Prosecutor Pushes Gun Locks: Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall
can't shake the story about a child who used dresser drawers to get to a
gun on the top shelf of a closet and then died when the gun went off. Or
another child who killed a baby after finding a gun in a nightstand. o
when she heard about a 10-year-old Peter Howell Elementary School
student who accidentally shot and killed himself two weeks ago, she knew
it was time to remind people about Project C.A.R.G.O., or Communities
Addressing Responsible Gun Ownership... In nearly every instance, the
children played with the gun, going so far as to point it at one
another. LaWall decided to use racketeering funds to buy gun locks and
to give them away. They are distributed at more than 150 pediatricians'
offices and clinics. Since 2000, more than 35,000 have been given away.
(For those who cannot afford safes or similar devices, locks will serve
to disable a firearm but generally not to prevent its theft. Cable locks
are vastly superior to trigger locks, which violate Rule Three by being
inserted into the trigger guard. Clearly, if you don't carry the firearm
but depend on it for home defense, you don't want to leave it disabled
during the hours you spend at home. In general, it's better to gun-proof
children, mostly by de-mystifying the firearm, than to count on
child-proofing the gun; it remains negligent, however, to leave firearms
not in use unsecured.)
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/325441
---
11-Year-Old Shot While Defending Mother, Home: Three men are being held
for a Palmview home invasion where an 11-year-old boy was shot defending
his mother. Hidalgo County [TX] Sheriff's Office deputies told Action 4
News that it happened off Minnesota Road and 8 Mile Line between
Palmview and Mission around 12:30 a.m. Friday. The homeowner said she
and her 11-year-old son were in bed when she heard banging on the front
main entrance door. She got up to check and she saw two Hispanic males
men masks [sic] and armed with handguns walking towards her. She quickly
closed the bedroom door but one of the men tried to force it open. The
masked man kept telling her to open the door and she would not open the
door. The woman told deputies that the home invaders shot through the
door and hit her son on the left hip area. Her son had a 22 cal. Rifle
and shot back at the alleged robbers. The woman waited, opened the door,
saw that the suspects were no longer there and called 911... (The
federal prohibition on possession of firearms by juveniles has a
specific exemption for self-defense and defense of another, inside the
juvenile's home.)
http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=402271
---
Oops, Wrong Store: [Kansas City KS] Police said a convenience store
clerk shot a would-be robber early Friday morning. According to
investigators, a man armed with a rifle walked into a convenience store
in the 5900 block of Leavenworth Road just after midnight. The clerk was
not behind the counter. Police said he was in a back room and spotted
the man with the gun when he came out. Police said a shot was fired, and
they believe the man armed with a rifle was wounded. The man fled the
store. The clerk was not hurt. Police said the clerk did have a
conceal-carry permit.
http://www.kmbc.com/news/22245555/detail.html
http://www.examiner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2010m1d15-Armed-convenience-store-clerk-stops-armed-robber
---
NRA-ILA Alerts: List members are encouraged to check the alerts for the
week, posted on the NRA-ILA website.
http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
The tactics and skills to use a firearm
in self-defense don't come naturally
with the right to keep and bear arms.
http://www.spw-duf.info
